McCannster - Apr 7, 2022 9:23 am - Voted 10/10
Great photo!One of my favorite areas in CO!
nader - Apr 7, 2022 1:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Great photo!I have seen the Grassland on the map but can not find any good info about it and am afraid that it might be surrounded by private property. No good place to stay near it either.
Dream of visiting sometime but don't want to go from Wisconsin to there, only to be turned back by private property signs.
McCannster - Apr 8, 2022 3:32 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Great photo!So there are two sectors of the Comanche National Grasslands, north and south. In the northern sector you'll find Picket Wire and Vogel Canyons, which has a developed campground (Withers Canyon), as well as plenty of dispersed camping along various grassland roads. Excellent hiking, rock hounding, bouldering, dinosaur tracks, and petroglyphs.
In the southern sector you have Picture Canyon, Carrizo Canyon, Sand Canyon, plus vast amounts of open prairie not in a canyon setting. A lot of this area was taken over by the federal government following the abandonment of many farms following the dust bowl. Picture Canyon and Carrizo Canyon have petroglyphs and very limited climbing opportunities, but decent designated campgrounds, as well as more dispersed camping.
Yes, there is quite a bit of private land sprinkled in/around the public land, but for the most part, the private land is unsigned/not looked after. Crossing private land is common in these parts, especially in hunter's circles (just be sure to find the landowner of whose property you are to cross and let them know of your intentions). It's literally as easy as driving up to a ranch house and knocking on the door. Any map App like OnX, Gaia, CalTopo, etc will show where the public/private lands are. I believe the USFS also has maps available for Comanche for free download on their website.
There are vast ranch properties out here that have county roads that cross them. Signs at the property boundary usually indicate "Stay on County Road next X miles", or something to that effect.
Definitely an underrated and overlooked part of Colorado. I'd highly recommend checking it out sometime, don't let the private property scare you away. Speaking from personal experience, the landowners in these parts are super chill.
nader - Apr 8, 2022 5:18 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Great photo!Thank you for the good info. Unlike what I said, there actually does seem to be a fair amount of info on the internet. Now you got me tempted, may be a good trip in fall.
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